Manulea cephalotes Thunb.

Coarse herb, probably perennial, stems probably several from the base, up to c. 1 m tall, c. 3-5 mm diam. at base, either simple or laxly branched from base, simple to branched above, pubescent throughout (including inflorescence axes) with glandular hairs up to c. 0.3 mm long, many of these broad-based and eventually ± scabrid, together with longer (to c. 1 mm) eglandular hairs, leafy particularly in lower part becoming more distantly bracteate upwards. Leaves alternate, up to c. 25-50(-60) x 4-6(-10) mm, those on dwarf axillary shoots smaller, oblong to oblanceolate, apex ± acute, base somewhat narrowed and decurrent on stem in two very narrow ridges, margins sometimes entire (and usually so when passing into bracts), often with 24 pairs of teeth in upper half, both surfaces pubescent with broad-based glandular hairs and longer eglandular ones to 0.5-0.75 mm. Flowers many in short (up to c. 80 mm) narrow thyrses, either solitary and terminal or paniculately arranged, flowers sometimes solitary (and often aborted?) and distant at base of thyrse, otherwise crowded and arranged in 3-7-flowered dichasial cymules. Bracts small, c. 2-7 x 0.5-1 mm. Pedicels (or peduncles) c. 1.5-2 mm long. Calyx obscurely bilabiate, tube c. 0.2-0.5 mm long, anticous lobes 2.4-4(4.5) x 0.5-0.8 mm, posticous lobes slightly smaller, lanceolate, minutely glandular-puberulous all over together with coarser broad-based glandular hairs to c. 0.25 mm on backs and eglandular hairs to 0.4-0.6 mm long on margins. Corolla tube c. 5.5-7.5(-9) x 1.2-1.8 mm in throat, cylindric, upper half abruptly expanded, limb almost regular, c. 5-8(-9) mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes c. 1.75-2.5(-3.75) x 1.75-2.2(-3) mm, anticous lobe c. 1.6-2.5(-3.25) x 1.4-2.2(-3) mm, all lobes broadly elliptic to suborbicular, very obtuse, yellow to orange-brown, outside of lobes and tube pubescent, hairs up to c. 0.2-0.4 mm, somewhat retrorse, upper surface of lobes with tiny white clavate hairs forming a star-shaped pattern, inside of tube glabrous in upper half, minutely glandular-puberulous below insertion of posticous filaments. Stamens 4, anticous anthers 0.4-0.75(-1) mm long, included, posticous anthers 1-1.5 mm long, deeply included, posticous filaments bearded with clavate hairs. Stigma 0.3-0.8(-1.2) mm long, often bifid, very deeply included. Style 0.3-0.8 mm long. Ovary c. 1-1.5 x 0.8 mm. Capsules c. 3-3.5 x 2 mm. Seeds c. 1 x 0.5 mm, pallid. The plants probably begin flowering in December or early January; by April they are mostly in fruit.